Pawn of Fates
by OfEsaAndOs
Summary: AU- This is a story, which starts at the start, about a young witch with a special gift, when it works. Can she learn to use and control her gift to protect her future and save the futures of her classmates? Or will she fail and become a mere pawn in the fates great design. Includes, seers, pranksters, and maybe some brain teasers.


Author's Note: I do not own any recognizable material. This work is based upon JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. Sections of this have been quoted from the books. This is an AU of the series set in the Marauder Era.

After all she had been through in her short life, Estella Albright could not believe she had finally made it to Platform 9 and ¾. Steam was billowing out of the vibrant scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express, as returning students and families bustled about, greeting friends and saying goodbyes to loved ones. It was the color that first caught her eye. This is what triggered her mind and made her slightly dizzy. She tried to slow her breathing and refocus her mind on the present. Finally, she was internally settled.

Estella stood quiet and alone, taking in the scene that was playing out in front of her. It was so familiar a scene that she didn't feel alone but felt nostalgic comfort. She had never stepped foot on the magical platform before yet she visually knew every inch of 9 and 3/4. She knew each cabin and detail aboard the train. As she looked at the faces of the passing students, most of them were familiar, some even friendly, to her memory. Yet, she had never spoken a word to any of them. This was after all, the start of Estella's first year attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

For a fleeting moment, she wished her great-grandmother was standing beside her, whispering words of encouragement and strength. Everything certain in Estella's mind was only certain through her great-grandmother's verification and support. But her nana had passed away almost two months ago and that was the reason why Estella was standing alone, her courage faltering. Her nana had told her the day Estella had received her letter to Hogwarts, that finally Estella would be in a place where she could be herself, where she could feel normal. Her nana held so much hope in her eyes and her words, which Estella found it hard to breathe because she too could feel the hope swell within her. Hogwarts was going to be her home where she would grow and learn and live normally with people who were like her. But then her nana passed away, and Estella tried hard to remember all her nana's words of hope, repeating them each day like a mantra. But her logical mind crept into the words, Hogwarts would be a great place for her but she would never be normal, not even though she would finally be surrounded by witches and wizards. After all, Estella knew most people did not see the way she saw. Most people could sleep through the night without a startling dream or a riddling vision to wake them up.

It was her ability to see things that others did not that really brought her into her current unique situation. Her parents had never been able to deal with her strangeness that only seemed to get worse as she got older. All small children have strange dreams from time to time but Estella never out grew her strange dreams. In fact, her dreams began to seep over into her waking day. As she grew, it became harder for her to tell the difference between her dreams and waking reality. It was beyond startling and disconcerting for her family to walk into a room and see the young Estella chatting happily to her friends that no one else could see or hear. And then again, young children go through the phase of having imaginary friends, and so her parents hoped that was it. And yet, who invents imaginary people who aren't friends but evil enemies. Then Estella's antics progressed to include random outbursts in which she tried to convince her family to do certain things. She was adamant that if they listened to her good things would happen, if they didn't heed her then bad things would happen. At first it was all chocked up to growing up and being willful, but then her parents started to notice that Estella was right. When they listened to her words or advice, the outcome was good. And when they ignored her words, the outcome was disastrous. All of these quirks began to worry her parents. They began shielding her from normal interactions with people. When she started to have an outburst, they would lock her in her room. Finally, one day, when Estella was having an episode, her mother locked her in her room to calm down. Instead, Estella had had enough and ended up in the tree outside her bedroom window. Even now, Estella can still recall the exact sound of her mother's shrieking when Estella was found in the tree. It was after that when Estella found that her new home was a local asylum. She had lived there in darkness and isolation, her sight being her only hope and salvation as she slipped completely into her mind. That was how her great-grandmother had found Estella three years after her arrival.

Her nana had battled with her parents and finally was granted custody. Nana knew the truth about Estella, knew she was a special witch. By this point, Estella was a timid, shy and withdrawn 10 years old. But slowly, Nana and her stories of Hogwarts, her words of hope for Estella's future, and the wonder of magic, began to return the spark within Estella.

That was how Estella came to be standing in front of the Hogwarts Express. The shriek of the train's whistle startled the young witch. She shook her head to clear her mind. She looked around and realized she was one of the last students on the platform. She sprinted forward towards the train. She passed one, two, three compartments. She felt within her it was the fourth compartment that she wanted. She had no idea why, but she followed the feeling and slid open the compartment door.

The compartment was empty except for one other girl. She was hunched up by the window with her face pressed against the pane. Estella watched quietly for a moment as the girl's shoulders hitched up in a silent sob. Estella slid unto the same bench, folding herself up close to the wall by the door. She didn't want to bother the girl who obviously wanted to be alone. She began to think about Hogwarts and what was ahead of her at the end of train ride. Excitement started to build and bubble inside her. She heard another silent sobbing hitch from the girl next to her and she tried to fight the slow smile that was forming on her face. She just couldn't wait to finally get to Hogwarts where she knew everything was about to change for the better.

The door banged open and Estella jumped. She heard a muffled bang and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the girl was rubbing her head. Two laughing dark haired boys stumbled into the compartment. Estella watched them as they observed herself and the other girl. As they regarded her, she regarded them. The boy who had stumbled in first was rather thin and slight. He had ruffled jet-black hair and was shorter then his companion. He noticed the girl still fighting back tears and caught Estella's eye then looked back at the other boy a bit nervously. With a jolt, Estella took notice of the second boy. He had dark black hair that fell slightly into his eyes and he was about a whole head taller then the first boy.

If Estella had really been looking, she would have noticed that the boy also had a handsome face, but Estella was seeing something else. What had captured her attention weren't the boys in front of her but what she was seeing in her mind. It was a big house painted powder yellow with white trim. The house had a wrap around porch and in the front yard was a huge oak tree. The sun was being filtered through the leaves of the tree and Estella could almost feel a warm breeze graze her face. She could faintly hear laughter drifting out from the open windows of the house. She was being drawn towards it. She could feel that this house was a happy and safe place. Estella wanted so badly to stay and explore the house but with another jolt what she was seeing faded back to the inside of the train compartment.

Refocused in the present, Estella noted that the boys decided to stay and had taken seats on the opposite bench. She turned her head towards the wall and let her golden hair fall to cover her face. She pretended to be dozing but she watched the two boys. The shorter boy with the messy hair was bouncing slightly as he enthusiastically talked. He used lots of gestures as he spoke. The other boy watched with an amused look upon his face. He was lounging on the bench and slipped in comments when the first boy would take a breath or pause. Estella couldn't quiet tell out of the two boys who was more glad to have lucked out and found such a companion for the first train ride to Hogwarts. She knew they were both first years like her because their school robes were black and plain and didn't have a Hogwarts house crest yet. She watched and let her mind wander about who these boys might be. She wandered if the girl with the wavy red hair had stopped crying; if she was silently watching the two rowdy boys as well. Estella would have bet all her new schoolbooks and her wand, that the girl was watching just like she was. She wandered why the girl had been crying to start with. Estella wasn't positive but she thought the redheaded girl was a first year too. She didn't understand how one could be upset when the train was speeding towards Hogwarts. She peered at the girl through her hair and she felt a slight peak in interest. She felt like this girl could be a friend, maybe soon but not quiet yet.

Something dark caught her eye outside the door. As she turned to get a better look, the compartment door slid open. In stepped a scrawny boy in school robes. He had lanky dark hair and a long hooked nose. He stared eagerly at the red-haired girl who finally looked up and caught his eye. She quickly turned back towards the window. Estella could tell that they knew each other. She inched a bit closer as the red-haired girl spoke to the scrawny boy.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said in a constricted voice, as the boy passed the other two boys and sat down opposite the girl.

"Why not?"

"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?"

Estella could tell that the boy was burning with excitement to get to Hogwarts. She could almost feel the hopefulness rolling off him.

The red-haired girl glared at him.

"So she's my sister!"

"She's only a-" He quickly shut his mouth. The girl was trying to wipe her eyes and hide her tears that she didn't notice what the boy had been about to say. The boy bounced slightly and rocked forward leaning towards the girl.

"But we're going!" he said, unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"

The girl nodded and gave a slight smile. Estella felt the swell of excitement and longed to agree with the scrawny boy. They were on their way and Hogwarts was waiting to welcome them!

"You'd better be in Slytherin," said the boy with a smile on his face, trying to brighten up the girl's mood. Her smile began to widen.

"Slytherin?"

With another jolt, Estella looked towards the loud boy with the messy hair.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He had turned to address the boy who had entered the compartment with him.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin."

Estella didn't know if she should feel shocked or not. By the look on the messy haired boy's face, she should feel shocked. But Estella didn't really know much about the houses other then the different names. Her nana had been rather matter of fact when talking about the different houses. In fact, Estella wasn't even sure which house her nana had been in when she attended school. She felt a bit nauseous and nervous when she realized she didn't know and also had no clue to where she might end up.

"Blimey, and I thought you seemed all right!" exclaimed the first boy to the second.

With a grin the second boy responded, "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

Estella leaned a bit forward. She didn't know you could have a choice. She thought for a moment about what she knew. Where would she choose?

The messy haired boy jumped up and lifted an imaginary sword.

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brace at heart! Like my dad."

Estella felt a twinge. She wasn't very brave. In fact, she often hid and observed, choosing not to speak up or act out. In her experience, it only ever brought her trouble. She struggled with anxiety too. She did not really feel like she'd belong in Gryffindor but when the messy haired boy spoke his confident words about being in Gryffindor, Estella felt a pull. She groaned. She did not want to be pushed into being brave, being a Gryffindor, but she had a feeling that she would end up in the house of the brave.

The scrawny boy had made a disgruntled sound as well and the boy with the messy black hair first glared at Estella then at the scrawny boy.

"Got a problem with that?" Estella's jaw dropped and her mind scrambled to find words to explain, but the scrawny boy spoke up first.

"No," he said with a slight sneer, "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy..."

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Interjected the messy haired boy's friend.

The red-haired girl's cheeks flushed as she sat up. Laughter from the messy haired boy almost drowned out her words as she grabbed her friend's hand and said, "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Oooooo..." The two boys imitated her voice as the girl and scrawny boy left the compartment.

"See ya, Snivellus!" yelled the messy haired boy as the door slid closed. Estella shrank back in her seat as the two boys rounded on her.

Maybe sitting in this compartment had been a mistake. She took a steadying breath.

"And you," said the messy haired boy. His glare was back. "What's your problem with Gryffindor?" The other boy stared at her, almost looking bored. Estella could feel her palms starting to sweat. She looked up and her eyes locked with grey. For a moment she saw warm soft yellow painted siding and heard breezy laughter and felt the warm breeze. She focused on the messy haired boy.

"I don't have a problem," she replied with confidence. The other boy leaned forward, looking at her.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked with a smirk. The messy haired boy nodded.

"Yeah, we both heard you groan," he added with a gesture between the two boys. Estella sighed and rolled her eyes, leaning back in her seat.

"I groaned because I don't feel very brave but I don't really feel like being a Slytherin either," she said. "So since you lot made it seem like those are the only two choices, what's wrong with the other two houses?"

The boy with the grey eyes paused for a moment then laugh. The messy haired boy smiled slightly, still unsure about what to make of Estella.

"Well," began the messy haired boy, "Hufflepuffs are either too soft or a bunch of tossers. And I'd say Ravenclaws aren't too bad but half the time they only talk just to hear how smart they sound." The other boy let a snort of laughter.

"Hmm, so my choices are be a tosser, a know-it-all," Estella started saying ticking off on her fingers.

"A greasy haired git, like Snivellus," interjected the boy with the grey eyes. Estella shrugged a slight agreement as messy haired boy laughed.

"Or be a Gryffindor!" exclaimed the boys. Estella startled herself by laughing.

"Of course, you don't really get to choose," pointed out the boy with the grey eyes.

"That's good," replied Estella. "I wouldn't want all that pressure, might choose wrong." She said pensively, as the boys looked at her like she was mad. A small smile spread across her face as she said, "Being a tosser or a greasy haired git are very tempting choices."

"If it's between a tosser and a git, chose the tosser!" Joked the messy haired boy. Estella smiled then frowned slightly. She could feel the train slowing down. The messy haired boy hoped up and looked out the window.

"Excellent," he said with his eyes sparkling. "We are pulling into Hogsmeade Station!"

"Great, I'm starving," said the boy with grey eyes, standing up and stretching. He seemed at ease but Estella thought he looked a bit nervous.

"Well, let's go get this over with," Estella murmured, standing up as well.

They headed out of the compartment and were met with crowded corridors. Students were pushing and talking and laughing. Estella scrunched up her nose as an awful smell filled the air. A giggling girl shrieked.

"Gideon! You tosser! We are all trapped on the train!"

The crowed laughed.

"Hey, it wasn't me! It was Frank!"

"Relax Marlene, it was just a dungboom. Fell outta my pocket." More laughter reached Estella as she finally pushed passed the group and reached an exit.

Hoping off the train, she could barely glimpse an old village that was peeking out of the trees. It was getting rather dark and Estella was being pushed around by bustling students. Everyone seemed to know where they were going, but she did not. Finally, someone had been smart enough to think of lights. Estella saw a swinging lantern. She strained her eyes to see and she was surprised to find that the person carrying the lantern was a rather huge man, almost twice the size of a full-grown man.

"Firs years! Folla me!" boomed the voice of the huge man. "Come along firs years! This way!" He said holding up the lantern.

He then turned and started walking away from the village and the other students. Estella rushed forward, hoping to keep up and felling nervous. The group of first years struggled to keep pace with the large man as they all walked further and further away from the train and village. They headed along a path through an area densely filled with fir trees. It was really dark now and Estella was noticing her hands were getting a bit numb when the group in front of her stopped walking. Up ahead, she noticed glittering dancing lights. She stood on her tiptoes to see over the heads of students in front of her and she realized that what she was seeing were reflections of light in water.

"N'more then four ta boat!" Boomed the voice again.

Estella quickly scrambled to the shore and tried to keep a partially filled boat steady as she got in. Flushed with excitement and success over having not fallen into the water, she looked at the others in the boat and recognized the red-haired girl and scrawny boy from back on the train. She gave them both a slight smile. The boy looked away but the girl returned the smile. Estella grabbed onto the side of the boat as she felt it move. Another boy climbed into the boat, filling it. She turned and smiled.

"I'm Estella." She said brightly. She had no idea what was making her speak up. She usually let others approach her, too hesitant, too shy, to be the first to talk.

The frail looking boy gave a tired smile.

"Remus." The red-haired girl was watching the exchange.

"I'm Lily," she added then turned to her friend, "This is Severus." She said brightly. He gave a stiff nod and a pained smile. Lily looked a bit concerned.

"I'm not sure if I'm more excited or more nervous," Estella confessed with a huge grin. She was definitely nervous but she had dreamed about Hogwarts for as long as she could remember, and not just regular normal dreams.

Lily laughed and Severus seemed to relax a bit.

"I know! I feel the same way!" Lily said with a huge smile as she wrung her hands.

The boats began to move silently forward across the lake. Remus grabbed onto the side, looking a bit sick.

"Bit strange that they make us take boats." He mumbled.

"You don't get motion sick do you?" Severus asked edging away from the other boy. Remus just shook his head no in response.

"It'll be over soon," Lily said encouragingly.

"And then we will finally be at Hogwarts," Estella finished softly with a smile. The feeling of hope and happiness inside her, even if she weren't a witch, would be enough for her to wave her wand and spout off magic.

And as they inched silently forward, around a bend of trees, they finally saw, what Estella had seen thousands of times before but never in reality, the majestic and magical Hogwarts castle, with its time worn stones and curving sweeping turrets. Light spilled out from its' hundreds upon hundreds of windows, lighting up the lake and sending out glittering, dancing ripples of light on the water.

The moment of silent awe and beauty was broken by a loud splash and roars of laughter. Up ahead a boat was rocking and two boys were doubled over in mirth. A third boy was in the lake, scrambling to get back up into the boat. A trembling girl with chin length hair was trying to help the boy up and over the ledge of the boat. Finally, the girl had managed to get the pudgy boy safely back into the boat. Lily shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Sev, it's those mean boys from back on the train!"

"Yeah, they're trouble."

"How horrible! That poor boy," Lily said more to herself.

"At least the boats are stopping," Remus said with a sigh of relief. Estella nodded in agreement, though the boats didn't bother her, she was more the ready to be at Hogwarts.

They all climbed out of the boats and started off after the man with the lantern up a steep slope, heading towards the castle. Half way up the slope, Estella realized they were climbing up rough-cut stone steps. She was walking on Hogwarts stone. A boy slipped in front of her. Estella's hand shot out and steadied the boy who squeaked.

"Thanks," he said breathlessly. It was the pudgy boy who fell in the lake.

"Of course," Estella replied, feeling slightly out of breath as well. It was a steep trekking up the slope but finally she could see the crowd up ahead was disappearing into the castle.

Estella approached the castle walls and passed through the main door. The huge heavy wooden doors were covered in carvings. She gently reached out and grazed her hands across the doors as she passed through into the castle.

The group of first years were standing and waiting at the bottom of a massive stone staircase that seemed to spiral and turn all the way up the inside of the castle. Estella's mouth dropped as she saw bits of the staircase move and change. She remembered her nana saying once about the castle to mind her feet because the floors move more swiftly then her feet could carry her. A smile spread across her face as she watched the staircase settle into stillness once more.

A side wooden-door opened, and a tall stern looking women with a tight dark bun in emerald robes, approached the loud group of first years.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses." She paused as the double wooden doors to her right rattled slightly as a swell of sound reached the group of first years. Professor McGonagall grimaced. The rest of the school seemed to have arrived and were filing into the Great Hall.

"Like I was saying, the Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, at Hogwarts, your House will be something like your family within the school." Estella's eyes wander and landed on the boy with grey eyes. He was listening intently to Professor McGonagall. She noted that the boy with messy hair was standing beside him, not paying attention but looking around instead.

"You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room." Estella felt a twinge. It almost sounded like it was frowned upon to have friends in other Houses.

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any mischief and rule breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House points will be tallied and the House with the most points wins the House Cup. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours." She looked at all of the fresh faced first years intently.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I shall return to collect you all when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." She turned and headed out the double wooden doors. Estella caught a glimpse before the doors closed of a mass of students sitting down chatting excitedly.

"S-She didn't s-say h-how we get s-sorted!" stuttered the pudgy boy from the lake.

Estella's heart thrummed against her chest. She felt like she was about to explode, either from nervous or excitement, she couldn't tell. In a few short moments those doors would open and she would get sorted. Her fate was in her reach; she could feel the magic around her. Things were shifting, her fate was being set, and she couldn't wait to meet it head on.

The doors opened and Professor McGonagall stepped out.

"It's time. This way please." She said as she beckoned with her hand. She turned and headed back into the Great Hall.

The group of first years pushed through the doors and entered into the Great Hall for the first time. The Sorting Ceremony had began.


End file.
